Vereinigte Freiheit Allianz
The Vereinigte Freiheit Allianz (Eng. United Freedom Alliance), or V.F.A., was a liberal political party in Greater Hulstria. It was originally founded as the Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou in 2634 and as the Hulsterreich Sozialdemokratische Partei in 2641. The party formed as the VFA in 2650. After the events surrounding the Revolutionary Republican Army, the New Komeito Party became the successor party to the VFA. Its headquarters was in Kien and it has regional offices in every crownland. Major cities in the crownlands sometimes have smaller headquarters run by volunteers that give out party information and campaign items for national and local elections. The NKP uses all the same buildings as the VFA did as a party. History Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou was founded in February 2634 by Zhou Peng, Keizo Hata, and various other anti-monarchy, social democratic, pro-Gao-Showa citizens. It strongly opposed the Hulstrian Monarchy and supports the creation of the Republic of Gao-Soto. The S.D.R. believed that Hulstria truly belongs to the Gao-Showa people and that the Luthori invaded the sovereign Gao-Showan lands. The political party's first election was in April 2635, and at the time the party was still largely unestablished; it received only 0.03% of the vote. In the Summer of 2636, the SDR Manifesto was released and in the following election the party took a large victory, becoming the largest party in Hulstria. Over 38 million people voted for the party. In the Hulstria Crownland, the party won 48% of the votes. Party Reformation In early 2641 compromise became close to reach when it was proposed that an elected Head of State be established while still keeping the monarchy. This led to the SDR's organization leaders to begin discussion on whether to drop its anti-monarchist affiliations if the bill passed. Another consideration that was made in the meeting was to change the party name and have it officially in Hulstrian; while also keeping the SDR as an organization within the party for the representation of the Gao-Showa. Current party proposals include: Moderate Social Democratic Party, Hulstrian Unity Party, Social Democratic Party. The party leader meetings are currently still going on and will not be concluded officially until the passing or defeat of the constitutional democracy bill. A couple days later, officials decided to go with the abandonment of anti-monarchist views and embracing the concept of an elected Head of State alongside the Monarch. This decision further increased the chances of even more party reforms. Foundation of the Hulsterreich Sozialdemokratische Partei In March 2641, Chairman Zhou announced that following next month's elections that party would become the Hulsterreich Sozialdemokratische Partei (Eng. Hulstrian Social Democratic Party, Gao. Hulstrian Shakaitou Demokuratikku Yakara). He also announced that Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou would become an internal organization of the party that would specially serve the interests of the Gao-Showa and represent them. The party faced criticism of its coalition partner the Hulstrian Nationalist Party for the support of more taxes. This led to the reconsideration of the HSP economic policy in late 2643 and following the meeting more conservative economic views were adopted. Officials concluded that the Hulstrian surplus was in well enough state that corporation tax and a luxury goods tax were not necessary. The party did not change its support of progressive income tax though, since a flat or fair tax would significantly reduce the surplus disallowing the government programs supported by the HSP. Later that year the party decided to drop social democracy as the official ideology and instead use simply "liberalism" as the official. HSP's increasing move towards the center-left away from the far/moderate-left resulted in this change. First Governor-General In April 2647, the elections for the first Governor-General of Greater Hulstria were held and the HSP was victorious. Karl van Gessel won the election; with a lead of almost 30 million votes. Van Gessel lost reelection in 2560. Later that year in September, he died of natural causes at 74 years old. A couple days later a new chairman was appointed, James Buchanan. Buchanan was a lower ranking party official with only experience on the local level of politics. He is also controversial among some for his mix of beliefs in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Buchanan is very disliked among party Christians for his strong belief in evolution and his criticism of the religious right and "Bible-bumping" Christians. Overall, he is a liberal with some right-wing influence on certain views. He has been known to frequently criticize the party for its decision to be called the "Hulstrian Social Democratic Party", stating that, "the party isn't even social democratic and having a name that says we are is just hypocritical." Party Leadership Under Buchanan When James Buchanan became the new chairman of the party, he had many new ideas for the party. One of the first changes that was made was the change of the party's name to the Vereinigte Freiheit Allianz (Eng. United Freedom Alliance). He changed some of the party's official views and ideologies too. In the whole process, some party members left and some people joined the party. Not long after the founding, Yasuo Kamura resigned from Staatsminister and left the party along with others who opposed the Buchanan reforms. The VFA was involved in the first meeting of the Imperial Human Rights Commission in the 2650s, being represented by John Breckenridge. In June 2658 the VFA left the Anti-Fascist Coalition and entered a united coalition that included two of Hulstria's rightist parties, the Fascist Authority Party and the Triad Coalition. In the election of 2662 the party suffered a massive defeat. As a result many VFA officials announcement their retirement, and Chairman James Buchanan went as far to commit suicide due to his dissatisfaction with the denial of rights and freedom by the Hulstrian population. Kenzo Noda Following the massive election defeat and the death of James Buchanan, Kenzo Noda became Chairwoman of the party. The VFA soon entered a large political battle with the Fascist Authority Party. Both sides bashing each other and tensions rising throughout the Diet. In the end the FAP mysteriously disbanded with no warning and elections were soon held to fill the large number of vacant seats. Following the elections the VFA entered a brief period in which the party was inactive and away from the political scene. Many considered this to be a break time for many of the party's members and a time to recover from the loss of retiring party members. The party reentered national politics in the fall of 2664 with many changes. It had new officials, new internal organizations, and an official website. During its time away, it also drafted four national flags that included Gao-Showa symbolism to represent the historical minority. These flags were presented to the Diet in November 2664. In 2666, radical republican protesters attempted to storm the VFA headquarters after taunts by royalists. The protests were held in an attempt to get the VFA to increase its republicanism and fight harder for a republic. In the days following the end of the protest, the republican faction of the party called for a new Chairman to be elected despite the fact that Kenzo Noda herself was a republican. The faction felt that she and other officials in the party were not doing enough to fight the monarchy. Revolutionary Republican Army & New Komeito Full Article: Revolutionary Republican Army Full Article: New Komeito Party Almost a month after the protests of November, the radical republicans managed to remove Kenzo Noda and all of her advisers. The VFA officials resisted the radicals and locked up the headquarters in Kien to prevent them from using it. The radical republicans in reaction threatened the VFA officials forcing them out of the political scene. The VFA moved underground and no longer could run candidates, the Revolutionary Republican Army was now in charge. In mid-2667 a number of high-ranking VFA officials were kidnapped by the RRA and imprisoned. This was met by the Christian Liberal Party calling for action from the Internal Ministry and for those responsible to be put on trial. Shortly before the end of the trials of the RRA officials, the New Komeito Party was formed by VFA-loyalists who declared the NKP the successor the VFA. With many of the VFA's older members retiring, the VFA officials accepted this new party as their successor since it already was structured together, unlike the VFA which at this point was collapsed. Offices Held Former * Governor-General: Karl van Gessel, Apr. 2647 - Apr. 2650 * Staatsminister: Yasuo Kamura, Feb. 2642 - Mar. 2653 * Minister of Health & Social Services: Tang Yilun, Feb. 2642 - Feb. 2655 * Minister of Education & Culture: Sun Yuchun, Feb. 2642 - Feb. 2655 * Minister of Trade & Industry: Keizo Hata, Feb. 2642 - Feb. 2655 * Minister of Health & Social Services: Koji Koizumi, Feb. 2655 - Jun. 2658 * Minister of Internal Affairs: Hildegard Klay, Feb. 2655 - Apr. 2644 * Minister of Education & Culture: Zacchaeus Buchanan, Feb. 2655 - Apr. 2644 * Minister of Health & Social Services: Wilhelm Martens, Jun. 2658 - Apr. 2644 Figures in the VFA Party Chairmen Party Vice Chairs Cabinet Candidates/Area Advisers List Shows Candidates Pre-RRA * Staatsminister: Zacchaeus Buchanan * Foreign Affairs: Michael Markell * Internal Affairs: Alexander Burton * Finance: Katamo Satana * Defense: Heizo Mori * Justice: Chen Lee * Infrastructure & Transport: Veronica Mazume * Health & Social Services: Albert Ritter * Education & Culture: Ayaan Abdulle Isse * Science & Technology: Keigo Kato * Food & Agriculture: Martin Madlener * Environment & Tourism: Kourtney Mitchell * Trade & Industry: Koji Koizumi Party Beliefs The VFA's official ideology was liberalism; though on some issues the party was more conservative, such as on culture and immigration. The below list is a basic outline of the party's views: * Federal education, healthcare, childcare, & pension * Regulation of private enterprise to ensure workers' rights, consumer rights, and fair competition * Mixed economy * Free Trade with Allies, Dovani, and nearby nations; Fair Trade with third-world and other nations * Extensive social security system * Progressive income tax; but no sales taxes or corporation tax * Environmental protection laws * Use of alternative energy; except nuclear * Cultural and historical preservation * Secular and liberal social policy * Internationalist foreign policy Party Political Compass Party Organizations * Demokratische Hulsterreich Jugend - The DHJ was the youth organization of the VFA that promotes political awareness and participation. * Freie Regenbogen Allianz - The FRA was a LGBT organization that promotes gay rights. * Republikanische Allianz für Freiheit - The RAF was a republican organization of the VFA that promotes a republic and the end of the monarchy. * Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou - The SDR was an organization that represents the Gao-Showa in the VFA and helps them voice their opinions on a national level. * Vereinigte Buddhistisch und Taoic Vereinigung - The VBTV was a Buddhist and Taoic organization in the VFA for Hulstrians and Gao-Showa that follow Buddhism or a Taoic philosophy. There's also an international version of this organization that was created by the VFA, it is the International Buddhist & Taoic Association. * Vereinigte Frauenkoalition - The VF was a womens' organization in the VFA that serves their interests and promotes womens' rights. Party Legislation Includes SDR & HSP Legislation * Sekkyoku Demokuratikku Rengou Manifesto of 2636 * Healthcare Reform Bill of 2637 * Cultural Preservation Act of 2637 * Secularization Act of 2638 * Choice Act of 2638 * Educational Reform Act of 2638 * Cabinet Proposal of January 2639 * Democratic Hulstria Act of 2639 * Re-Secularization Act of 2640 * Cultural Preservation Act of 2642 * Law Enforcement Reform of 2642 * Healthy Hulstria Act of 2642 * Choice Act of 2643 * Establishment of a Corporation Tax * Workers' Rights Act of 2643 * Call for Early Elections, January 2652 * Cabinet Proposal of August 2653 * VFA Healthcare Act of 2654 * Workers' Rights Act of 2654 * End to Sales Tax Act of 2654 * Revision of Foreign Policy Act of 2654 * Call for Early Elections, April 2656 * Peoples' Choice Act of 2659 * Secularism Act of 2659 * Call for Early Elections, September 2660 * Safety for the Future Act * Peoples' Choice Act of 2663 * Abortion Prevention Act * Religious Freedom Act of 2663 * Free Hulstria Act, 2663, Part 1 * Call for Early Elections, December 2663 * National Flag Reform of 2667 International Organizations * Against Child Labour * Against New World Order (ANWO) * Alliance for Capital Punishment * Anti-Gun League * Anti-Imperialism League * Anti-Segregation League * Fair Trade Union * International Buddhist & Taoic Association * International Greens * International Human Rights Movement * International Lesbian & Gay Rights Association (ILGRA) * International Liberal Democrats * International Pro-Choice Movement * International Science, Education, and Culture Organization * International Secularist Society * National Sovereignty Protection League * Organization for the Rights of Atheists * Parties Against Hunting Endangered Animals * Parties for Promotion of National Languages * Say No To Illegal Immigration * Separation of Church and State Alliance * United Against Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons * United States Coalition * World Anti-Slavery Union Category:Inactive Parties in Hulstria & Gao-Soto Images Past Logos Image:HSP_Logo.PNG|HSP Logo Proposed National/Regional Flags Image:VFA_Flag_Proposal_1.PNG|National Flag Proposal 1, 2664 Image:VFA_Flag_Proposal_2.PNG|National Flag Proposal 2, 2664 Image:VFA_Flag_Proposal_3.PNG|National Flag Proposal 3, 2664 Image:VFA_Flag_Proposal_4.PNG|National Flag Proposal 4, 2664 External Links * Particracy Page * VFA Website Category:Inactive Parties in Hulstria & Gao-Soto